Herbed Quinoa Salad

What do you get when you throw a whole bunch of herbs in a food processors, blend them up with a little olive oil and then toss it into a bowl of super healthy grains? Pretty much my new favorite lunch. This herbed quinoa salad is seriously packed full of flavor and then topped cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and feta. It’s pretty much a bowl full of healthy goodness. And the healthy part is key, especially since I’ve spent the last few days indulging in lots of fabulous food in Palm Springs…

These loaded salads seem to be my favorite meals these days. You can jazz them up as much as you want and load them with delicious herbs, veggies, a tad bit of cheese and lunch or dinner is pretty much ready! For this salad, I literally just used a bunch of herbs that I had leftover in my fridge that needed to be put to good use before going bad, and voila… the herbed quinoa salad was invented. You could switch up the herbs and add some basil or dill, or whatever your taste buds are craving… but don’t leave out the mint! It gives the salad an extra pop of freshness!

Herbed Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken stock
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 cup chopped cilantro
2 tbsp chopped tarragon
2 tbsp chopped mint
6 tbsp olive oil
1 cup diced cucumber
1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
sprinkle of feta cheese

Directions:

Place the quinoa and the chicken stock in a pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Let it cook for 15 minutes until all the water has evaporated. Remove from the pot and set aside.

In a food processor or blender, combine the parsley, cilantro, tarragon, mint and olive oil. Pulse until the mixture turns into a pesto-looking consistency.

Combine the herbed mixture with the cooked quinoa and toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Add the cucumbers, cherry tomatoes and sprinkle with feta cheese to finish.

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